


Gift of the Waves

by SilverWing15



Series: Heart Of The Sea [2]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Gen, Merpeople, The Cardboard Box Thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:49:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29998917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWing15/pseuds/SilverWing15
Summary: Phil carefully circles around the rock pile. There aren’t any spots that look big enough to hold a mer kid that age, but there is a pretty sizable cardboard box just beyond the rocks.Sure enough, as he approaches the box, there is a menacing hiss. Well, its probably menacing to other people, Phil’s heard Techno get pissy though, this is cute.Prequel to Turn Of The Tide
Series: Heart Of The Sea [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2185698
Comments: 11
Kudos: 214
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	Gift of the Waves

**Author's Note:**

> I come to you with Tubbo backstory and good tidings of Fluff to come. If you go to Warmth Of The Sun you will now find that it is a collection of one shots, one of which will indeed be Tubbo and Tommy's first meeting, because I'm a sucker like that. I don't think that there's gonna be much in there, probably three chapters at most. I'm winding down on Mer AU and shifting back to Mafia so once those chapters are done and Techno's backstory is up I'll probably mark the series as complete. I *might* come back to it in the future but don't hold your breath I've also got two new AU ideas after Mafia that I'm developing. 
> 
> I really wanted to show what a typical sort of rescue would look like in Mer AU, so: Tubbo in a Box What Will He Do? (Growl at Phil)  
> Also, I forgot to put it on there but I have art of Baby Tommy that I'll be throwing onto the end of Mercy after this.

Fucking tourists. Phil flicks on his turn signal and finally he can see the beach in question. There’s already an ambulance at the scene, he can see the whole group of the idiots clustered around the chief idiot. 

The genius who’d figured it would be a good idea to try and fuck with a mer kid. He had, of course, gotten the usual response from the mer kid in question. That being a nice bite to his hand and some deep cuts on his arm from the claws. 

Jack, his partner for this trip, scoffs a bit. “Gonna be so much paperwork from this.” 

“There always is,” Phil agrees.

Phil pulls up a little ways away from the ambulance and he and Jack get out of the car. Immediately one of the guys is waving him over. He looks pretty local, actually, got that look of a guy who spends a lot of time on the water. 

“Hey man,” the guy says, “are you guys from the mer center right?” 

“That’d be me,” Phil says, plastering on a smile. “Sounds like you guys got into a bit of trouble with a mer, Mr…?” 

The guy rolls his eyes a bit, “You can call me Sparkles, everyone does. I didn’t really see him, but it sounds like he’s just a little guy. Genius over there decided to try and take a selfie with him. I almost interned up at the center so I knew the number.” 

Jack makes a motion and heads over to the ambulance, Phil loves having seniority. It means he can make someone else deal with the morons. 

Phil looks over...Sparkles--Sparkles? Really? Far be it from Phil to question a man’s name but. Sparkles. Phil looks over his shoulder and he can see the genius in question. 

He’s wearing what  _ might _ have once been a nice suit. Now its rumbled to hell and he’s definitely never getting all that sand out of it. (Honestly there’s way too much sand for just getting attacked by a mer. What did the guy do, sleep on the beach?) Not to mention the blood. Phil winces, the guy may have deserved it but damn. The mer hadn’t held back had he? 

“Did you see where he went?” Hopefully not back out to the water. From the reports the kid is probably only about six or seven, and Phil’s got a partner with him, so going into the water with him wouldn’t be  _ too _ dangerous. But there’s always danger going into the water with a mer that isn’t inclined to be friendly. 

A kid doesn’t have the strength, speed, or power of an adult, and their claws and fangs are duller. That doesn’t by any stretch of the imagination mean that they’re helpless. If the kid thinks he’s in danger he’ll defend himself. As so helpfully demonstrated by the village idiot over there. 

There are  _ some _ mer pods that don’t utterly loathe humans, but they’re few and far between. More than likely this kid has been taught all his life that humans want to kill or torture him in various ways. 

This’ll be fun. 

“I know where he is,” the third guy--good fucking  _ god _ his voice is deep--chimes in. He points to a little pile of rocks, exposed by the tide. 

“Awesome, thanks mate.” Phil takes a deep breath and considers his plan of attack. 

Well, at least it isn’t underwater, but getting a mer out of a den is no simple feat. If he can’t get the kid’s trust then its going to be a long fucking day. 

Better start now. 

Phil digs in the back of the car, pulling out some heavy gloves and forearm guards. A little cooler of fish and a thick blanket rounds up his supplies. 

Jack leans against the side of the car, “looks like suit guy fell asleep on the beach last night and woke up to find the kid already washed up. He was conscious and responsive so he shouldn’t be too bad condition-wise.” 

“That’s a relief,” Phil says, shutting the trunk. Jack will stay with the car until he’s calmed the kid down a little. Its better not to bring too many people in at once, and Phil has the benefit of his avian abilities. 

Right, no time like the present. 

Phil carefully circles around the rock pile. There aren’t any spots that look big enough to hold a mer kid that age, but there is a pretty sizable cardboard box just beyond the rocks. 

Sure enough, as he approaches the box, there is a menacing hiss. Well, its probably menacing to other people, Phil’s heard Techno get pissy though, this is cute. 

A threat rattle comes from the box next. 

Phil clears his throat and rumbles. He’s not quite as good at it as Will, but he can manage a pretty good imitation of most mer sounds. The kid stops hissing and rattling abruptly. 

Phil lays down a healthy distance away from the box. Its better to be on the kid’s level and hiding his legs won’t hurt. “Hey sweetheart,” he says. 

A growl. 

He rumbles again and this time he gets a chirp in response. That’s good progress. He scooches forward a bit, keeping up the rumble. 

The flaps of the box move and a little face peers out from the shadows. Phil smiles, carefully taking in all he can get on the kid. 

Just like he’d expected, he’s little, probaby six on the outside. His colors are dull, fitting his age. He doesn’t look like he’s in too rough shape. About the usual for a kid washed up on the shore. 

At least this isn’t a storm stranding, or worse, some encounter with a boat. Those are always bad. This kid might have accidentally wandered off, or even gotten caught in a current and pulled away from his pod. 

Either way, there’s no getting him back to them. Even if they could find  _ his specific pod _ , even if they would let humans approach. Mer culture doesn’t accept kids back once they’ve been lost. 

Its cruel, and Phil would like to have a lot of goddamn words with them about it, but there is nothing he can do about it. All he can do is rescue the kids that he can. Like this one. 

Who’s poked his head out of the box now, watching Phil with narrow eyes. His fins are flared, moving slightly as he breathes. Phil tilts his head and offers a friendly trill. 

He gets a hiss in answer, but the kid doesn’t bare teeth. Progress. 

“Hello,” Phil tries again. The kid snarls viciously, striking out with one hand, but Phil has made sure to stay well out of reach. “There’s no need for all that,” Phil tells him, “I’m not going to hurt you.” 

The kids got one hand raised, fingers curled, claws ready to strike. He’s still standing his ground though, not looking to run. Phil can push a little further. 

He rumbles again and very slowly reaches for the cooler he’s set beside himself. 

The mer kid’s fins flare wide and he growls, lunging half out of the box to strike at the air. Just as quickly he withdraws, keeping up the hissing growl. 

Phil opens the cooler and pulls out a little fish. “You must be hungry,” he says quietly. “Been on your own for awhile, huh?” 

The kid’s eyes are glued to the fish in his hand. The growl trickles to a stop and a little begging croon starts up instead. 

“There, see?” Phil murmurs, “I’m not so bad.” 

Now comes the bit that’s probably going to get him hit. It isn’t a mer rescue unless there’s blood. Carefully, Phil reaches out, fish held in his hand. 

The kid is caught between shrinking back and lunging, he’s wavering back and forth in his box, fins flaring and flattening. He warbles uncertainly and Phil rumbles at him again. 

Finally he goes for it. In a blur of motion he snags the fish with one hand while the other rakes down Phil’s arm. He reaches far enough to just miss the edge of the arm guards, but Phil’s gotten much worse than those pinpricks. 

The kid pulls back into the depths of his cardboard fortress with a threatening rattle. Phil keeps still and silent while the fish is devoured, and then the kid pokes his head back out. 

“You want more?” 

No growl at the sound of his voice this time. 

Phil gets another fish and lets the kid tear up his arm a little more. Its a small price to pay. 

This one goes down just as quickly as the other. That’s the last one Phil’s giving him for a few minutes at least, he doesn’t want to make the kid sick. 

A little face peers out of the box and a finger points imperiously to the cooler. Phil smothers a laugh. 

“No, give it a minute to settle.” 

The kid probably doesn’t understand what he’s saying,  _ maybe _ he gets ‘no’ but mer tend not to learn much of any language other than their own. He definitely gets Phil’s tone though, and the lack of fish offered. 

An offended shriek comes from the box and the kid leans halfway out, snarling a little at Phil. 

Phil remains unmoved, “no.” 

Oh, the kid knows that word and he doesn’t like it. He hisses, making an off-key offended noise that goes up so high and loud that Phil winces. 

“You can have more when we get to the car,” Phil says, pointing up the beach. The kid follows his finger, only flinching back a little bit. He clicks questioningly, narrowing his eyes at Phil like he’s trying to put together a puzzle. 

Phil touches the cooler--the kid perks up and makes a happy coo--and points to the car. The happy coo stops and is replaced with a grumpy hiss. 

He’s not snarling though, now he’s  _ pouting _ , its adorable, but Phil is a strong man. He can ignore some puppy dog eyes. 

“Come on,” Phil says, “that box isn’t doing you much good anyway.” 

He croons, just hitting the specific note that means ‘come out’. This is another place where he’s likely to get hurt, but he doesn’t mind. Hesitantly, the kid comes out of the box. 

His fins are flaring wildly and he’s making a preemptive warning hiss, but his eyes are glued to the cooler. Phil smiles sadly. “There you go, come on mate, we’ll head back to the center and let Niki take a look at you. All the fish you can eat, how does that sound?” 

Finally the kid slips fully from behind the cardboard flaps. He’s little, even for his age, maybe his pod had fallen on hard times. He’s reached about the end of his courage, he’s not coming any closer. Phil makes a little welcoming chirp and pulls open the cooler to break off a bit of a fillet to give him. 

He gets flared fins and a little bit of a hiss, but the kid doesn’t strike again. He’s really mellow for a mer kid. Part of it is probably exhaustion. 

Phil carefully coaxes the kid closer with bits of fish, being careful not to overfeed him or push too hard. Finally, he reaches, rumbling reassuringly as he scoops the kid close to his chest. 

Instinct takes over and the kid goes limp, purring softly in answer to the rumble. Phil carefully wraps the blanket around him, both to keep the kid nice and warm and also because it’ll make it harder for him to get his claws up to Phil’s throat if Phil manages to spook him. His teeth are still a danger, but most mer go for the claws first and he’s got a reinforced collar high on his neck that should keep him safe. 

The kid stirs a bit when they get into the car, but he trusts Phil enough to settle back down once they’re sitting. Phil’s throat is probably going to be sore as hell tomorrow from keeping up the rumble all the way back to the center, but its worth it to keep the kid calm. 

Finally the pull up and Phil climbs out of the car. He doesn’t think the kid is quite asleep yet, not from the way he’s shifting and making little questioning clicks, but he’s not too stressed out either. They carry him straight into one of the recovery rooms. 

Puffy is waiting for them and she receives the kid from Phil’s arms with a friendly trill. He stirs more at that, pulling away to look up at Puffy’s face. The last of the tension melts out of his muscles and he snuggles under her chin, chirping. 

Puffy smiles over his head at Phil, sinking a bit deeper into the water and crooning softly to the kid. They’ll give him a little time to mellow out from the move and then Niki will have a quick look at him. He’s not got any sort of serious injuries to Phil’s eye. One of his pelvic fins is a little torn up and he definitely needs to put weight on but all in all he’s going to be fine. 

This is only the beginning,of course. Once he’s woken up a bit he’ll probably be more wary of his new surroundings and the new people. There is going to be plenty of scratches and probably bites to go around, and its a good thing they have soundproofed the walls. An mer unhappy in any capacity, especially a little one, is bound to be loud and violent. 

Having Puffy is a massive boon in that regard, Techno too, but any mer kid is going to respond well to a female mer far better than anyone else they could introduce them to. 

They’ll quarantine him for a little bit and he’ll probably spend all his time with Puffy until they’re ready to bring him out to the main crew. All in all, a good rescue. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!


End file.
